The Art of Woodworking

There are a lot of ways to make a table. Do you want Shaker style, Craftsman or Mid- century Modern? There are many species of wood to choose from. Perhaps a mix of a few hardwoods and the inclusion of metal legs. What type of joinery should we use? Is this a large dining table or a small side table for the television remote and a book or two?

The innumerable options gives woodworking its appeal. The possibilities are indeed nearly endless. When all pretense is chiseled away the art is in finding the right mixture of elements to solve a particular problem. A dining room table? This is a mostly flat, sturdy top, sized for a given number of chairs. There is usually space for human legs to fit under this flat, sturdy top. Finally, the top should be around 30 inches (76cm) from the floor. All other elements are variable.

Precision, craftsmanship, and ingenuity are all principles of creating extraordinary furniture. Today, though, most furniture is transient. The love of a piece goes in and out with the season. Many furniture pieces are boring. They all look the same, feel the same, and perform the same. Customers at large furniture stores simply make purchases based on price because there are no other comparable attributes. The only excitement customers feel is this: that they get to have what others already have. There is no differentiation in the market. In mass production, no elements are variable.

The art of woodworking then, is the idea that a table or a chair can and should be interpreted in a variety of ways.